Rate of bicycle-vehicle accidents in Lodi among state's highest

LODI - Lodi High student Oscar Reyes pedaled his BMX bicycle sans helmet quickly down Lockeford Street, and cut through a parking lot to Loma Street when he heard a siren blaring from the motorcycle of Lodi police Officer Chris Kaufman.

Keith Reid

LODI - Lodi High student Oscar Reyes pedaled his BMX bicycle sans helmet quickly down Lockeford Street, and cut through a parking lot to Loma Street when he heard a siren blaring from the motorcycle of Lodi police Officer Chris Kaufman.

Kaufman wrote the 17-year-old a ticket for not wearing a helmet and gave him a rundown on the rules for riding a bicycle within city limits, which includes wearing a helmet and riding with traffic, not against it.

It was one of dozens of tickets Kaufman said he has issued in recent weeks.

"Nobody wears (a helmet)," said Reyes, who admitted it's not his first ticket for riding without a helmet. "I don't mind getting the ticket because you go to court, show them you have a helmet and they don't charge you (the fine)."

That's about to change, according to the Lodi Police Department, which is ramping up bicycle traffic enforcement in light of data from the California Office of Traffic Safety that shows Lodi with one of the highest rates of bicycle vs. vehicle accidents for children younger than 15 in the state.

Lodi traffic officers have began to crack down on bicyclists who are not following the rules of the road. Sgt. Chris Jacobson said added enforcement is not intended to harass children, as some parents have complained, but is part of a larger campaign to make the public aware of Lodi's high rate of accidents.

In 2009, Lodi ranked third out of 104 California cities between 50,000 and 100,000 residents for the highest rate of bicycle vs. vehicle injury accidents. There were nine injuries for children younger than 15 recorded in Lodi and 29 total for all bicyclists.

"I just want to make it better," Jacobson said.

The city of Alameda ranked first with 10 bicyclists younger than 15 being involved in collisions, and 55 accidents for all ages.

In addition to enforcement, police officers are also running an education campaign in Lodi schools where they will hand out fliers and provide other information about bicycle laws. Jacobson also hopes each ticket issued will eventually require participation in a bicycle-safety course.

Hearing of the high rate of accidents in Lodi came as a surprise to sixth-grader Porter Reynolds, 11, who carefully walked his bike across Lockeford Street near Reese Elementary School last week.

"Really? I guess this street is pretty bad," he said. "You have Reese, Lodi High, Millswood all coming home from school here at the same time."

Jacobson said he is not sure exactly why Lodi's rate of bicycle vs. vehicle collisions is so high. He theorizes that the police department could be a little more diligent in its reporting of injury bicycle accidents than in other cities. But that's only part of the problem.

"I really think there are bicyclists that don't follow the rules of the road," he said. "It happens everywhere, but if you look at bicyclists in Lodi, you'll see people riding against traffic, blowing through traffic signals and riding through crosswalks."

Whether or not the enforcement and education will work remains to be seen. Some, like Reyes, say they are unlikely to change their habits.